Dems pledge to scrutinize Iraq war costs

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- Democrats plan to assert more control over Iraq war costs when they take charge of Congress, the incoming budget committee chairmen say.

Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Rep. John Spratt Jr., D-S.C., said the administration's approach -- of paying for extended military operations and related activities through a series of emergency requests -- had hurt Congressional scrutiny of the spending and hidden the true price of the war.

"They have been playing hide-the-ball, and that does not serve the Congress well nor the country well, and we are not going to continue that practice," Conrad told The New York Times.

The budget committee heads said they would move toward integrating the war spending into the regular federal budget.

Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, spending on the military outside of the regular budget process has totaled more than $400 billion, the newspaper said.

For the 12 months ended Sept. 30, spending on the Iraq war alone ran at an average rate of $8 billion a month, the Congressional Research Service said.